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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28597326">Reflection of Desire</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dralexreid/pseuds/dralexreid'>dralexreid</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dr Piper Bishop [61]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:20:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,750</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28597326</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dralexreid/pseuds/dralexreid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The BAU becomes involved in the search for an abducted woman in the nation's capital after a woman dressed like a 1950s starlet is found murdered in a Georgetown alley.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dr Spencer Reid/Dr Piper Bishop</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dr Piper Bishop [61]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1972852</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Penelope watched her pale, painted face in the mirror, bright lightbulbs crackling as they lined the vanity. Her rich red lipstick glided across her lips and her usually flaming red hair was tucked underneath a jet-black wig. If her team could see her now…</p><hr/><p>Piper was looking over two brain scans in a dark room as Theo leaned over her shoulder. She tilted her head as Nirvana thundered on the speakers. “What am I meant to be looking at?” Theo buried his forehead into her back.</p><p>“God, peanut, you’re killing me here.”</p><p>“I’m sorry Mr Neurologist,” Piper scoffed. “Tell me what I’m looking at and I can help.” Dramatically, Dr Martin swivelled on his heel.</p><p>“The pituitary gland is swollen, babe.” Realisation dawned on her as the music swelled.</p><p>“Oh, I didn’t even think about that. You think it’s contributing to schizophrenic headaches?”</p><p>“Right, I have no idea what could treat it though.” Piper nodded grudgingly.</p><p>“You need a chemistry degree for that riddle.”</p><p>“Oh, please. They think they’re all actual scientists.” Piper’s cell buzzed and she plucked it out of her pocket as Theo kept going. “I was thinking we could deal with it as a tumour, but I’d still need a biologist. Surgery would be too difficult not to mention the moral implications considering Rene Descartes’s philosophy…” His voice trailed off as Piper read the text.</p><p>“Theo, I have to go,” Piper said as the song changed to The Cranberries.</p><p>“Wh— But we just got started!”</p><p>“I know, but I really do have to go. Look, I’ll call you and we’ll discuss, okay,” she said, backtracking to grab her helmet and coat before running out. She pulled her dark leather jacket over her knit green sweater and pulled her helmet on before roaring out into the thundering night.</p><hr/><p>Derek was looking into properties in Georgetown and he was used to looking at places at night. It was the only time he had free these days. The last few cases had been in succession, a case on Halloween and then a few days later in Indiana. The place wasn’t great, but it was close to the metro and a local public school and only 15 minutes from Capitol Hill. With some new tiling, a set of paint and a complete overhaul on the plumbing and flooring, this could easily hit the ceiling in real estate. So, he shook hands with the realtor, ready to turn this place around. He heard the door close behind him and Derek turned on his heel, shoving his hands into his large leather coat, appropriate for the thundering rain outside when his cell buzzed. “Oh naw, now this ain’t cool.” It was a text from Hotch.</p><p>
  <em>Dead body found on Ryker’s Alley. Bishop’s on her way to join you.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Penelope stepped out into the dark abyss, save for a spotlight shimmering on her skin. “Melissa Crane?” she asked, her voice ringing clear as a bell without her having to speak higher than a few decibels. A second spotlight flashed no more than a few feet in front of her, shining on a tall man, a dark grey suit hanging from his frame.</p><p>“Get out.”</p><p>“Alison Gardner?”</p><p>“Get out before I call the police.”</p><p>“I called them. And they'll be here, but not before I'm done,” she said, her intonation clear.</p><p>“Done?” the man scoffed. “Done with what?” Her eyelid flickered. She drew a pistol from her deep pocket. Her arm straightened. A single shot rang out. His hand fell to his abdomen and he sunk to his knees. She glided over to him, kneeling down next to him.</p><p>“Nine girls you raped and you butchered. You took from them what you took from me. But I survived,” she said, gazing into his eyes coldly before leaning to whisper in his ear. “You should have killed me, Clarence.” And with that, sirens rang out and the spotlights vanished, dissolving Penelope and Clarence in the darkness.</p><hr/><p>Piper’s bike stood patiently behind her and Derek’s car was parked next to it. The duo walked over to a man in a tan coat, a fedora sat on his greying hairs. “Detective Croft?” Derek called out. “SSA Derek Morgan, this is Dr Piper Bishop. You called the FBI?”</p><p>“I've seen a lot over the years, but nothing like this.”</p><p>“Like what?” Piper asked, blinking as the raindrops stuck to her eyelashes.</p><p>“I didn't notice it at first, but then when I saw it, I knew I had to call you.” Piper raised an eyebrow, squatting with Derek as an officer turned over the waterproof sheet. Derek physically flinched and Piper had to look away. “I guess you guys have seen it all.”</p><p>“Thought I had,” Derek admitted standing up as Piper took control over her stomach before glancing at the body.</p><p>“Sorry, I need to examine the body,” Piper asked, looking up at the officer. “Would you mind holding this sheet up as a cover? Won’t take two minutes.” Apart from the obvious, the young blonde had significant bruising on her wrists and ankles. Other than that, she was pristine. Perfectly made up. “When was she found?”</p><p>“Bout 20 minutes ago,” Croft answered. “Homeless man called it in.”</p><p>“All right, listen,” Derek said, projecting his voice over the stretch of the alley. “I need wide-angle shots of her body, torso, close-ups of her face and her mouth.” Piper held back the bile rising in her throat.</p><p>“Whoever did this has got a mind I don't want to understand,” Croft scoffed, making his way to his car.</p><p>“That's a luxury we can't afford,” Derek sighed as they followed. Derek and Piper moved back over to their vehicles. “What were you doing in Georgetown?”</p><p>“Looking at a swollen pituitary gland.” Derek gave her a look. “Oh, not a real one!” she protested, smacking his wet jacket. “A brain scan, obviously.”</p><p>“Right. I’ll meet you at the station?”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m gonna follow your car,” she told him, clambering on to the bike as she pulled on her helmet.</p><p>“Alright. Don’t crash,” he yelled, opening his car door.</p><p>“Been there,” she yelled back, turning over her engine. “Done that. Didn’t like it.” She backed out of the alley onto the road. Derek did the same, leading the way to the station.</p><hr/><p>Penelope was the last into the briefing room with Emily looking at her sleepily. Spencer was picking at a muffin and Rossi just looked tired. Hotch looked the same as ever as he started handed Rossi and Prentiss their tablets. “Kelly Landis went missing 3 days ago. 2 days ago, the Georgetown "Monitor" received this.” Spencer looked at the headshot of their victim.</p><p>“So, whoever took this, took Kelly,” Rossi surmised.</p><p>“And wanted the world to know it,” Emily said as Penelope clattered her things on the table, leaflets of a play scattered on top of her own tablet. Hotch’s eyes fell on the leaflet as she passed Reid his file.</p><p>“Is that you?” In his small glimpse of the leaflets, he caught Penelope in a completely new look. Instead of her bright hair and practically fluorescent outfits, she had transformed into a more macabre look. But she’d already put the pamphlets away, rather chaotically as Emily asked where she was found.</p><p>“Uh, she was found in Georgetown, in an alley, late last night,” Penelope answered haphazardly.</p><p>“I sent Morgan and Bishop there,” Hotch announced and Rossi looked up from his tablet, his forehead lined with confusion.</p><p>“There’s only one victim,” he said</p><p>“It's what he did to her that concerns me,” Hotch explained. “Morgan sent these, also late last night.” He passed around a series of body shots. “He and Bishop are waiting at the district for us.” They each took differently angled shots.</p><p>“The body seems posed, left arm raised...” Spencer thought aloud, flipping through them, not realising the main signature until he pulled out the close up of Kelly’s face. “Oh... That's a first. I see your concern.”</p><p>“What?” Penelope asked impatiently.</p><p>“A photo wasn't all he took,” Emily remarked, disturbed by the photographs.</p><p>“Reid, what?” Garcia persisted.</p><p>“Her lips have been removed,” Rossi answered her, and the redhead's face contorted in disgust.</p><p>“Maybe a trophy,” Emily proposed.</p><p>“Or punishment. She rejects the unsub’s advances, he compensates,” David countered.</p><p>“Maybe he ate them?” Spencer postulated, popping a torn piece of his muffin in his mouth.</p><p>“Okay, now I have that memory burned in my mind for the rest of my life,” Penelope shot at him. “Thank you, Reid.” He just shrugged.</p><p>“You asked.”</p><p>“The photo he sent to the "Monitor" and the way her body's posed and the mutilation, it must be a representation of someone,” Emily redirected, not wanting a catfight between Reid and Garcia. It had happened before over a bowl of skittles and it had <strong>not</strong> been pretty.</p><p>“At least by sending a photo, the media's opened a line of communication,” Spencer said cheerfully. His headache had subsided that morning, especially with Piper’s new ban on coffee. But he wouldn’t admit it to her.</p><p>“Problem is that with the media's attention, we can expect more of these,” Rossi said and Hotch dismissed them all to meet in an SUV parked downstairs. With only the 4 of them, they didn’t need much more than that.</p><p>The drive from Quantico to Georgetown was just over 40 minutes, leaving Derek and Piper plenty of time to set up their workspace and pin up an evidence board and working together, they had both come up with a broad preliminary profile. They knew their unsub probably didn’t have a job if he abducted her in the morning. They knew he was an attention hog and that he probably killed Kelly in his car as Derek visibly recalled how warm the body was despite the rain and Piper realised that on the night, she’d been standing in the rain no more than 10 minutes and her hair was sopping wet. Kelly’s hair was merely damp. So, by the time the rest of the profilers had arrived, all that was left was for them to see the crime scene and examine the body. “Scissors, paper, rock to see who has to go see the body,” Derek proclaimed, and Piper sighed, claiming that was a ridiculous system before beating him thrice in a row. Grinning, Piper took Prentiss on her bike to the crime scene while Derek took Reid to see the body as Rossi and Hotch started to get their bearings on the case.</p><hr/><p>Her tyres squealed as Piper drifted to a stop outside the alley which had transformed in the sunlight. Dozens of reporters clamoured for a picture as Emily clambered off the bike, tucking a strand of hair away from her face. “So,” Emily started as they ducked under the tape. “Why steal lips?”</p><p>“For him, lips are no more than physical objects. Look at this,” Piper said, gesturing at the rabid reporters. “This is a show for him, and the best directors are perfectionists. The light has to be just right. The curl in Kelly’s hair has to be perfectly coiffed.”</p><p>“So, what, the lips weren’t right?” Emily asked, glancing around the small alley. “Rossi thought she might have rejected his advances.”</p><p>“Could be. So, 3 blocks west of here is where he delivered Kelly’s picture,” Piper said, tightening her ponytail. Her hair was still slightly damp from last night. “10 blocks farther east are offices of practically every major media outlet. Why would he choose the Monitor?”</p><p>“He reads it or it's his comfort zone.” Emily said, standing stoically, one hand in her trouser pocket, the other gesturing as she spoke. Piper always found Emily’s professionalism equal parts admirable and irritating.</p><p>“Probably lives in Georgetown too,” Piper theorised, crossing her arms over her knit cream sweater. “He’d go bigger otherwise.”</p><p>“What about Kelly’s victimology?” Emily asked.</p><p>“She lives in Alexandria but works on the Hill. Neighbours saw her leave at about 8 am. Meant to be at work by 9, never showed up. First day as a Senate page. Doesn’t have a car and nobody could place her on the bus or Metro,” Piper summed up for her and Emily nodded, turning on her heel as she took in the scene.</p><p>“9 am is a busy time of day to be abducting someone,” Emily noted. If she didn't know who took her, that's high-risk.”</p><p>“Yeah, but we’re talking about DC rush hour. No-one’s really paying attention.”</p><p>“Okay, so day 1, Kelly's abducted. Day 2, the media gets a photo of her. Day 3, her body's found here posed. This all feels orchestrated.” Piper nodded slowly, watching Emily as the other woman shifted her gaze to hers.</p><p>“So, why isn’t our puppet master basking in attention?” Piper asked grimly. Emily snorted dryly as Piper got one of the stationed officers to start filming the crowd. Sniffing, Emily turned at the sound of someone bustling behind her and her gaze fell on a pair of worn-out sneakers attached to a tangle of limbs.</p><p>“Bishop,” she called out, nonchalantly as her hand fell to her holster. Instantly, the doctor was by her side, her gun unholstered. The two women took either side of the makeshift tent. Emily met Piper’s gaze, nodding twice and Piper flung the sheet away as Emily yelled out their credentials at a man snoring softly in the covers. Snorting softly, Piper holstered her gun as Emily pulled the man up by his collar. “Where were you last night?” Emily barked at him.</p><p>“Jail,” the black man answered, a beanie stretched over his head, a musty jacket covering his body with the faint stench of alcohol.</p><p>“There was another man here,” Piper recalled. “The homeless man who found the body, 6 ft tall, beard, late 40s? Have you seen him?”</p><p>“Impossible,” he slurred.</p><p>“No, there was definitely somebody right here last night,” Emily countered.</p><p>“This place is my place,” he said, lurching. “This alley's my home. Ain't nobody down here but me.” But Piper’s gaze had distracted from the man, focusing on the writing on the wall in bright red.</p><p>“Prentiss,” she called out and Emily followed Piper’s gaze to the wall.</p><p>“Son of a bitch wrote on my wall!” The man lunged forward, his hand outstretched, ready to wipe away the writing when Piper caught his arm, swinging him so his arm pressed behind his back.</p><p>“That’s evidence we need, sir,” Piper said, pulling the man away from the wall so that Emily could get a picture for Garcia.</p><hr/><p>Spencer and Derek stood beside Kelly’s body on the silver table as the older agent went through her medical charts. “If she was offered food or water, she didn't accept it,” the doctor said from her lean next to Kelly’s feet. “Her stomach's empty, and she's dehydrated. Not that she could have accepted anything. She was restrained.”</p><p>“Dr. Hecht, did you find any signs of sexual abuse?” Spencer asked, glancing over the pale body.</p><p>“No,” she answered easily.</p><p>“Cause of death?” Derek asked, passing the chart to Reid.</p><p>“Suffocation. But not manual strangulation.”</p><p>“Was the mutilation post- or antemortem?” Spencer asked, absently reading the charts.</p><p>“Post.” Hecht placed both gloved hands underneath Kelly’s body, turning her onto her side carefully. “Never get used to seeing that,” she said, grossed out by the mutilation on the young woman’s face. Derek didn’t want to look at the body any more than necessary, but Spencer’s eyes had glanced up from his chart and to her mouth. Something had caught his eye and he leaned over, levelling his eyes to Kelly’s face</p><p>“There’s something in her throat,” he pointed out with his pinkie and Hecht rolled her onto her back, grabbing a pair of tweezers to draw the article out of the woman’s mouth.</p><p>“The air must have dislodged it, otherwise I'd have seen it,” she reasoned, the scrunched-up piece of paper free of the body. Spencer pulled on his glove before taking the piece of evidence, carefully unravelling it as the medical examiner brought in her magnifier with an overhead light.</p><p>“A page from a book?” Derek asked him.</p><p>“I don't know,” Spencer said thoughtfully. “It's old paper…and the blood and saliva seem to have uh—” he pulled the magnifier over the scrap of paper, “—it seems to have smudged the words. It appears... To be in Old Courier. You know what? It's typed, not printed. Nothing moves in the street,” he read aloud from the magnified piece of paper. "A cool breeze and gentle rain do little to silence Robert's beating heart." While Reid slipped his cell out to take a picture, Morgan turned to the ME.</p><p>“From the time Kelly was found, how long had she been dead?”</p><p>“Lividity indicates she was dead 15, 20 minutes, when she was found.”</p><p>“Georgetown's where he kept her captive,” Derek confirmed.</p><p>“I dunno if this helps but we found trihalomethane in her hair,” the ME added.</p><p>“Chloroform?” Spencer said, perplexed.</p><p>“Who uses chloroform nowadays?” Derek asked, sharing in Spencer’s confusion.</p><p>“You know, chloroform, the glamour shots—” he said, his hand taking the shape of a claw as he explained his thoughts. “It all feels like a throwback to another century.” Derek nodded, slipping his cell out to call Penelope.</p><p>“Hey, baby girl. I need you to look something up for me.” Derek looked through the glass to read out the paper. “Robert hangs in the shadows, just as his life now hangs in the balance. But life without—”</p><p>“<em>love is no life at all. We would be awesome together.”</em> Derek chuckled as he and Spencer waved farewell to the medical examiner and stepped out into cloudy sunshine.</p><p>“Aren’t we already?”</p><p>
  <em>“Like us, they are perfectly matched, but they are not found on any database.” </em>
</p><p>“On what, then?”</p><p>
  <em>“In that alley where Kelly’s body was found. Prentiss and Piper found it in a homeless man’s shelter. They think Croft might have interviewed the unsub already.”</em>
</p><p>“The homeless man,” Derek sighed. “He was wearing a disguise."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Piper paced, talking to Theo on her cell as they waited for Hotch to give them new instructions. “And there’s no sign of tuberculosis or sarcoidosis?”</p><p>
  <em>“Nothing. I mean, it’s growing just like a lesion. I’ve got brain scans from 10 key milestones and they’re increasing millimetre by millimetre. I’ve got no idea how to stop it without surgery.”</em>
</p><p>“Right.” Piper tapped her foot. “What about the regular symptoms? Headaches, appetite loss…”</p><p><em>“Tick, tick, tick. I’ve even got the hemifield slide phenomenon.”</em> Piper noticed Croft start to storm in.</p><p>“Okay, if you can’t get any more traction, look at uh, empty sella syndrome and general hypopituitarism. Let me know what you find.” Piper snapped her cell shut as Croft burst through the door with a newspaper, Rossi on his tail.</p><p>“They’ve named him the Hill Ripper,” Croft said, and Emily snatched the paper on the desk. Piper sighed deeply, missing JJ more than ever. She had a unique leash on the press that no-one else had. She glanced through the windowed room at Hotch who was glancing at the evidence board, a cell raised to his ear.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>“I can't match the words, sir, but if they're from a film, it's got to be the 1950s.” </em>
</p><p>“Are you sure?” Hotch asked curiously, gazing at Kelly’s grayscale headshot.</p><p>
  <em>“Well, the picture that he sent of Kelly to the Monitor, Kelly's makeup, okay, the foundation is like a pearl colour and over it is this green powder. That powder gives it a whiter look. Her eyebrows are plucked, her cheeks are that flushed rose hue that is totally that era. But what really seals it is the dark eyeliner. She has bedroom eyes. That was Marilyn Monroe's trademark.” </em>
</p><p>“Well, if Kelly's supposed to represent Monroe, then the text we found may be from one of Monroe's movies.”</p><p>
  <em>“Yeah, I know, it's not much, but...”</em>
</p><p>“No, no, no, it helps the profile.” He paused a moment before continuing. “Garcia, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you when I asked about your play. I certainly didn't mean to.”</p><p>
  <em>“Oh, oh, I know. I just, um, really, I gotta ask you that you don't share that with anyone, please.” </em>
</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>
  <em>“Oh, and one other thing. I was thinking, Kelly was missing for 3 days, and most stories— plays and films—” </em>
</p><p>“I know, have a 3-act structure. Not unlike your play. You know, I saw the original production in New York.”</p><p>
  <em>“Oh. Well, we sort of adapted it.”</em>
</p><p>“Good.”</p><p>“<em>Thanks</em>.” With that, the line clicked and Hotch smiled softly to himself, not noticing when the door swung open.</p><p>“You’re smiling,” Piper noted with apprehension. Hotch looked up, glancing at her. “Are you feeling okay?”</p><p>“Fine. Something come up?”</p><p>“We’ve got two problems,” Piper sighed. “First of all, press named our guy the Hill Ripper which is completely void of any creativity considering he hasn’t ripped anything. The second problem is that we’ve got a reported abduction. Her name is Penny Hanley, early 20s, and she’s blonde. Croft’s getting us a background, I wanted to check the abduction site with Em. You in?” Hotch nodded, following her outside where Emily was already waiting. Hotch pulled out of the station first as Piper pulled her helmet on while Emily clambered on. “Ready?” Emily nodded curtly which she caught in the reflection and she followed Hotch to the Metro.</p><hr/><p>Prentiss, Bishop and Hotch stood in the middle of the station on the arrivals side. Emily tucked her long black hair into a clean, tight ponytail while Hotch read Penny’s background. “Penny Hanley, 19. She lives in Arlington, works in an art gallery. Yesterday she didn't make it to work or back home. She caught the Metro to Union Station. Her father dropped her off. Her purse was found a few blocks away on a side street. It's most likely where she was abducted.”</p><p>“Kelly was taken for 3 days,” Emily reminded them. “If he's holding to the pattern, Penny's already on day 2.”</p><p>“Croft said he’s locking down the Georgetown Monitor,” Piper reported. “This building has 3 exits - north, south, and west.”</p><p>“You're here to target a woman, but you don't want to attract attention,” Emily added as Hotch surveyed the room.</p><p>“Well, standing in the middle gawking at passing women, would certainly attract attention,” Piper said, raising her eyebrow at Hotch as a young blonde walked past him.</p><p>“Like you're doing now,” Emily teased, a bright smile gracing her face.</p><p>“Sorry?” Hotch looked up, glancing between his agents. Piper snorted softly as Emily moved to take her position.</p><p>“He needs somewhere he can sit patiently,” Piper thought aloud, stepping back with Hotch as Emily walked from the arrival station to the west exit. “Without being noticed but being able to see everything.”</p><p>“Sitting and reading the paper would give him an excuse to watch without being noticed,” Hotch said dryly, noticing the men performing the same activity throughout the area.</p><p>“Far enough away not to attract attention but close enough to make sure she's the right one,” Emily said, approaching them as they glanced at the long brown leather couch behind them. Hotch looked up immediately, noticing a camera angled right at him.</p><p>“If he were sitting here, he's on camera.”</p><p>The trio moved swiftly to the security office while the others delivered the profile at the precinct. Emily leaned both hands on the guard’s table while Hotch stood directly behind him, arms folded. Piper was perched, keeping a glance on the screen as the guard rewound the tape to the time of the abduction. “That’s her, that’s Penny,” Hotch pointed out. Piper used her pinkie to gesture at the man who stood up following the blonde woman.</p><p>“Well, he’s seen her. Can we switch to camera 8?” The guard obliged Piper’s request as well as the follow up to enlarge and keep the tape rolling. They watched a middle-aged man follow the young woman out casually, but they knew, this was the man they were looking for. Emily asked for him to go back to when the man first sat down, glancing at the timestamp.</p><p>“He was waiting for over three hours,” she calculated.</p><p>“We profiled he has his own vehicle,” Hotch said, starting to dial someone.</p><p>“It was the only way he could abduct Penny off the street,” Piper said, unsure of what he was getting at.</p><p>“3 hours exceeds any parking meter,” he explained. “Get the footage to Garcia.” Emily pocketed the flash drive the security guard handed her with a smile and Piper hid her snicker well as they left.</p><p>Outside, Hotch had already left with the new data and Emily tossed Piper’s helmet to her, hitting her with it as Bishop laughed. Piper swung a leg over her bike, letting Emily clamber on behind her as she pulled her helmet on before rolling onto the main road, weaving through traffic and cutting corners until she drifted to a stop at the station. Emily got off first as Hotch’s SUV approached. Piper unlatched her helmet as Hotch closed the door behind him.</p><p>“Getting slow, Dad,” she snickered.</p><p>“Get inside before I ground you,” Hotch retorted and Piper snorted dryly. Swinging her leg off the bike, Piper followed Aaron inside. They walked in to see Emily deliver the update and Croft picked up a pencil, gesturing at the street where they’d found Penny Hanley’s purse, telling them that the entire street is parking permit only. With Garcia listening and typing on the other end of the line, Rossi narrowed down permits to a resident permit leading to Croft shutting down the entire area. Their net was closing fast on the unsub.</p><hr/><p>Emily had ordered Chinese food from the nearest chain and they were eating as Croft updated them on the situation. “We closed off this entire area. Cops are all over it. They're going door to door where it's a 5-block-radius with over 2,000 homes.”</p><p>“That could take days,” Hotch sighed. “Garcia, anything on the footage?”</p><p>
  <em>“Lab is analysing it frame by frame, but it was pretty clear he doesn't know those cameras are on him.” </em>
</p><p>“Permits?” Rossi tried.</p><p>
  <em>“Cross-checking with the profile, we've got male, late 40s, truck, van, or SUV. That brings it down to 600 potentials.”</em>
</p><p>“Garcia, what zone covers Rykers Alley—" Derek asked next.</p><p><em>“M street and Charlotte street?”</em> Penelope interrupted. <em>“Two zones.”</em></p><p>“No, that doesn't help.”</p><p>
  <em>“Well, come on, I'm the high priestess of all things digital, but I'm not a God.” </em>
</p><p>“What permit covers all zones?”</p><p>
  <em>“Only one. Disabled.” </em>
</p><p>“This guy isn't disabled,” Rossi pointed out and Emily shared a look with Piper.</p><p>“Maybe he knows someone who is,” Spencer suggested.</p><p>“We need to go back to victimology,” Piper announced, dropping her spork into her empty box. “We know it’s all about appearance. He’s trying to replicate someone.”</p><p>“Maybe someone he lost?” Emily asked and Piper nodded slowly as Emily expanded the theory. “We know he covets attention. He gets a thrill out of the media circuses.”</p><p>“Okay, he’s replicating a 50s look, maybe the person he knows worked in the arts around that time?” Piper proposed as Derek and Spencer watched the conversation ricochet between the two women.</p><p>“It would explain how he has all the equipment, the makeup, the hairstyling tools, the dress,” Emily said, leaning on the table.</p><p>“She was still wearing the same dress when we found Kelly,” Piper said fluidly, thinking rapidly.</p><p>“The clothes don’t matter, just the face,” Emily extended. “Especially the lips.”</p><p>“Means he disposed the body but couldn’t bring himself to just throw away the lips. He has to have kept them.”</p><p>“A trophy?” Emily asked instinctually, but Piper’s gut gave her something else.</p><p>“Oh, I am thick, aren’t I?” Piper reprimanded herself. “The lips are a replacement. He’s trying to replicate someone. The lips weren’t flawed, the rest of her was. That’s why he <em>had</em> to take them.”</p><p>“The message on the wall, it’s a love story,” Emily recalled.</p><p>“And the typography looks like a script,” Piper murmured. “But Marilyn Monroe’s look was <em>ridiculously</em> popular,” Piper sighed, running a hand through her hair again as the men watched silently.</p><p>“Except our unsub craves attention,” Emily reasoned. “He could be trying to one-up whoever he’s replicating.”</p><p>“He’s in his late 40s, which means he grew up in the early 70s, right? The woman he’s replicating, her prime must have been in the late 50s, when she was in her early 20s,” Piper calculated.</p><p>“She would be in her late 70s now,” Emily deduced, ignoring everyone staring at them. Piper didn’t even notice.</p><p>“Unless she’s dead and that might have been the trigger,” Piper said, jumping off her perch and starting to pace as Derek raised an eyebrow but Spencer was just watching in adoration. “If she abused him, he might have snapped and killed her.”</p><p>“Suffocation is remorseful,” Emily agreed. “And if he only killed Kelly a half-hour before she was found, he probably killed her in the car.”</p><p>“We need to pressure him into moving,” she said with finality. “The entire area’s closed and patrolled. All we have to do is catch his car.”</p><p>“We need him to break cover, get out in the open,” Emily agreed and both women turned to Hotch. The man exhaled deeply, turning to Penelope on the laptop screen.</p><p>“Garcia, I need you here as soon as possible. Call a press conference with every major media outlet present.”</p><p><em>“Oh, I am not the one you want in front of that camera,”</em> she protested earnestly.</p><p>“Yes, you are,” Hotch said decisively, a tone they had learned not to argue with. “Detective, we need every available unit.” Piper grabbed her helmet, bumping Emily’s fist as she grinned, walking out.</p><p>Meanwhile, Penelope was panicking, and Derek moved over to the laptop screen to try and comfort her. “Hey. You're gonna be fine,” Derek said smoothly.</p><p>
  <em>“No, I will not be fine. I will suck. I will suck. And what happens then?” </em>
</p><p>“Penelope. Penelope, stop it. We just have to buy some time to get ahead of this guy.”</p><p>
  <em>“He'll be watching, you mean?” </em>
</p><p>“I'm gonna be right by your side. Now get your butt over here.” Derek closed the laptop, following the other profilers outside.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hotch had his cell raised to his ear, still listening to Penelope’s protests as the rest of the team coordinated their patrol routes. They would have three units; Piper on her bike, Emily with Spencer and Rossi with Hotch, all three vehicles perambulating the same neighbourhood in conjunction with each police patrol car.</p><p>
  <em>“Sir, I've thought about this and I've decided it's a bad idea.”</em>
</p><p>“All you have to do is stay calm. Don't let the room control you.”</p><p>
  <em>“How am I supposed to do that?” </em>
</p><p>“Keep your answers short and to the point. Don't comment on the Kelly Landis case. Keep the focus on Penny.”</p><p><em>“No, sir, I don't think you understand. I have a phobia about having a video camera even pointed at me. I get all nervous and I start to panic, and I forget what I'm gonna say and my hands get all sweaty and then my hands start to shake. My hands are shaking right now,”</em> Penelope said rapidly, holding her hand out and the driver opened her side of the door, giving her a hand up and out of the car. “I cannot do things—” she walked through the open door, flipping her cell shut as she caught sight of Hotch, “—that I am not good at, and I am not good at being in a room full of strange people,” she said tottering over to Hotch in her heels. “That's why I stay in a room 6 by 9 feet. I feel safe there,” she pleaded as the rest of the team noticed her and started to approach them.</p><p>“Garcia, what about Tolgate Theatre?” Hotch countered, his hands gesturing widely.</p><p>“What’s that?” Rossi asked, standing next to Emily and Piper.</p><p>“Tolgate Theatre?” Emily asked.</p><p>“It’s a small repertory theatre where—” He stopped abruptly, seeing Penelope’s face pale drastically.</p><p>“That is not the same thing,” she whispered.</p><p>“Garcia—” Hotch tried to fix his mistake as Penelope spluttered.</p><p>“I—I can't even look at you right now. I am mad. I asked you not to say anything.”</p><p>“We need him to see a face and a look that he recognizes,” Piper said, gently placing each hand on Penelope’s shoulders. “You know this period better than anyone.”</p><p>“Well, he likes blondes, and I'm red now,” Penelope tried, grasping at straws.</p><p>“We can change that,” Emily said, passing a paper bag to her as Piper massaged her shoulders gently.</p><p>“Toward the end, Morgan's gonna hand you a note,” Hotch said gently. “Take a moment, let the group settle... And when you have everyone's attention, read it out.” Penelope still looked hesitant, but she’d run out of excuses.</p><p>“Think of it as playing a role,” Piper offered. “Fake it till you make it, right?”</p><p>“You’re gonna do great, Red,” Rossi said, proffering two thumbs. Piper caught Derek’s gaze and with one final squeeze, she let him do his thing, walking off with Spencer.</p><p>“Hey,” Derek said, stepping closer to place his hand on her back, guiding her to just outside the public bathrooms. “This isn't about the unsub. It's about the girls. For him, it's all about making Penny famous.”</p><p>“Then aren't we helping him realize his dream?” Penelope tried but Derek just held her shoulders.</p><p>“If we get this right, we end that dream. The press is calling him the Hill Ripper. They're gonna want to sensationalize this story even further. Now, they're gonna ask you how long he kept Kelly. They're gonna ask you how she died. Garcia, you have to make it about Penny. You let whoever has her know that the entire world is watching, and then you make Penny the star. All we gotta do is get this guy to move.” Penelope nodded, still apprehensive about the task at hand, wanting JJ here more than ever. “Hey. You can do this, baby girl,” Derek said confidently. “And give me your bag.”</p><p>“Okay,” Penelope said softly, passing him her large blue bag before bustling into the bathroom with the paper bag with blond hair dye, makeup and a smooth black dress.</p><hr/><p>Meanwhile, the others were suiting up to get ready for their individual patrols. Piper finished strapping her vest on before noticing Spencer playing with his, deep in thought. She stretched out her hand for his in the cool night air. Her fingertips reached his long fingers, pulling at them softly so he was drawn over to her. “You’re thinking about something,” she said. “Is it your head again? Because no-one would think any less—” But Spencer shook his head and Piper bit her lip, starting to strap his vest to him.</p><p>“You’re gonna be careful right?” Piper’s nimble fingers finished their task on their own as she glanced up at him through her eyelashes.</p><p>“When am I not careful?”</p><p>“Well, there was the time you slipped in the mud chasing an unsub, then the time you accidentally stepped into a crate and it was stuck on your foot for like—”</p><p>“Okay, okay,” she protested and Spencer smiled but it faded as quickly as it had appeared.</p><p>“I can’t lose you, Pipes,” he confessed to her quietly. Piper absorbed his concern.</p><p>“Well, what about that time in the grocery store when you wandered off to get ice cream and by the time you were done, you had the entire store in lockdown because you were afraid someone had abducted me but really, I was in the car, waiting for you?” Spencer sighed deeply.</p><p>“It happened once, and it was right after Simmons, so you have to let that go.” Piper beamed brilliantly.</p><p>“Never. I’m saving it for every dinner party ever.” Spencer raised a hand to thumb at her lips.</p><p>“I’m coming back for those.” A horrified expression crossed her face. “No, I didn’t mean—I wasn’t going to—It was meant to be romantic.”</p><p>“We have an unsub who stole a victim’s lips, Reid. Don’t say things like that,” Piper laughed. “Now go, before Emily kills you.” Piper moved to her stationed bike, settling down on it as Spencer glanced back. <em>Screw it.</em> He walked to the curb briskly, cupping Piper’s face as his lips crashed into hers. For someone caught unaware, Piper responded quickly, melting into Spencer’s kiss until he pulled away.</p><p>“Stay safe,” he pleaded, and Piper nodded curtly before her face disappeared underneath her dark helmet. She turned the engine over, letting the lights beam before she revved the engine. Her bike pulled away from Reid and into the darkness of the road. He sprinted to his car, slamming the door behind him as Hotch and Rossi streaked after Piper. As Spencer put his seatbelt on, Emily pulled away from the station, leaving Penelope and Derek to their press conference.</p><hr/><p>Penelope stood in front of the roves of reporters, but if she was uncomfortable, she didn’t show it as she stood on the stage as though it was her home. She imagined the blanket of darkness under which she would usually perform and started. “Penny Hanley went missing 2 days ago,” she announced, Derek Morgan flanking her side stoically. “We have received over 3,000 calls. Her family is obviously deeply worried and is looking forward to her prompt and safe return.”</p><p>“Isn't Penny Hanley yet another victim of the Hill Ripper?” A young man interrupted from the front; his microphone stretched out.</p><p>“Right now, all we know is that Penny is missing.”</p><p>“Who sent that photo in just like the Kelly Landis case?” Another woman prompted from near the middle left of the crowd.</p><p>“We'd like to take this opportunity to reach out to the public,” Penelope said, ignoring the question. “Penny was last seen here, leaving Union Station.”</p><p>“You mean she was taken by the Hill Ripper?” A person from her right side asked.</p><p>“Rumours are that Kelly Landis was found with her lips cut off,” someone asked incessantly from the back right corner.</p><p>“We are not prepared to discuss the details of Kelly's case,” Penelope insisted.</p><p>“Isn't the mutilation, if fact, what you call a signature?” he asked again.</p><p>“Penny Hanley's name has captured the attention of not only the nation but also the entire world,” Penelope said, disregarding the question. She had the microphone, and she would use it as the best weapon it could be. “This photo is the most recent image. We believe it was taken and sent by the person who abducted Penny Hanley—” But whatever she was going to say next, Mr Hanley burst forth from the audience, pushing through the reporters to get to the stage.</p><p>“I want to say something. I want to say something to the sick son of a bitch that has my daughter.” Penelope panicked as Mr Hanley addressed the reporters. They were more than happy to oblige, perhaps finding more for a story from him than Penelope and the FBI.</p><p>“Mr Hanley, we all want to find your daughter,” Morgan tried placidly. “But you really need to calm down.”</p><p>“You know, I say something, she dies, I plead for her life, she dies,” Mr Hanley said, frustrated. “I don't have any money, my wife passed away 2 years ago. She is all I have, and if this sick bastard gets away with this— just let me say something. My little girl right now is in your hands. Maybe she's already with God. Either way, your life will be in my hands.” Derek sighed, not letting any emotion show as he pulled his buzzing cell out. Reading the message, he slipped it back into his pocket before pulling out a notepad and pen. The reporters noticed Derek scribbling something and placing it on Penelope’s podium.</p><p>“Ladies and gentlemen, I have just received this...” Penelope announced, glancing at the notepad. “We ask that the general public reduce their movements around M Street, Georgetown, for the next few hours.” The crowd erupted into the same question.</p><p>“Do you have a lead in the Hill Ripper case?”</p><p>“Agent Garcia, do you have a lead in the Ripper case?”</p><p>“No, we don't,” Penelope said, taking Derek’s hand as she moved from the podium, her glance directed straight at the cameras. “We have an address.”</p><hr/><p>Hotch and Rossi drove past alleys, Piper’s taillights disappearing around a corner as she zigzagged in and out of alleyways. “If he's moving, he's moving now. Slow down,” Hotch directed Rossi as he spotted a car, but it was empty, a couple walking away, their relationship clearly consensual. “Never mind. Reid, where are you?” He asked through the radio as Rossi pulled ahead.</p><p>“We're headed south down Jackson Street,” Reid’s voice filled Hotch’s earwig. “There's hardly anything moving. Except cop cars.”</p><p>“I've seen 5 in the last 10 minutes,” Piper yelled into her mic as she swerved onto the main road. “Hotch, if he's out here, he's got nowhere to go.” Rossi drove further around the block and Hotch caught sight of a dark caramel station wagon in the alley. They would have driven past if Hotch hadn’t called out for him to stop and burst out of the car. Rossi yelled their location into his mic as he followed Aaron. Piper swerved around a corner, racing through the alleys as Hotch yelled out their credentials. Abandoning Penny in the car, their unsub burst out of the car and while Dave checked her pulse, Hotch fired three successive shots at the man.</p><p>“Prentiss, Reid, unsub is headed south,” Hotch called out as their SUV rolled into the tight alley. But it didn’t stop him, and Dave watched the unsub just roll over the hood of the car.</p><p>“BACK UP!” Bishop’s yell rang out and Emily’s tyres squealed as she backed away. They watched as a black motorcycle drifted around a corner.</p><p>“Bishop, corner him.”</p><p>“Doing my best boss,” she yelled, roaring away from them, following the unsub. “Tell Garcia to track my bike,” she called through her mic and Emily pulled away to follow the unsub on the main road while Hotch and Rossi got Penny into the ambulance. Dave let the ambulance doors close behind Hotch as he opted to stay with the young woman. Meanwhile, Piper had swerved left again, hot on the unsubs heels. “Dude, just surrender so I don’t run you over,” she called out to him, ignoring Emily’s snorts. The unsub kept running, sprinting onto another corner. Piper was barely able to follow the quick turn, forced to lean her bike so close she almost touched the concrete as she followed him, cursing twice. Once for the risky turn that she’d just made. The second time was at the sight of a large wall made of twisted wiring, the kind her batting cages were, and the unsub starting the climb up. She swore at the more than likely failure that would follow, but she let the bike pick up speed, carefully balancing her feet on the bike’s seat. “This is gonna hurt like a—” But Spencer didn’t hear what would hurt. Piper had launched up as the bike crashed into the wire fence. She swore again, leaping off the wall to try and crash onto the unsub. But he’d dodged her, and she was forced to roll into a landing. Her shoulders ached and she rose up slowly before running after him. “This sucks,” she panted into her mic.</p><p>“Where are you?” Spencer’s voice came in.</p><p>“Alleys don’t have street labels,” she yelled, settling into an easy sprint after the unsub, but her knees and knuckles hurt from the landing. Her thighs burnt with effort, her old scars flaring up in pain as she cut corners. Finally, she caught sight of a street name as she hurtled after him. “Corner of Lincoln and Hope,” she cried, pulling around a pole to continue sprinting after him. They had run out of the alleys onto the main street and she put out one final burst of speed before stopping to unholster her gun, firing 4 successive shots, one hitting their mark in his thigh. An exhausted Piper panted as she caught up to him as he fell to his knees.</p><p>“Please,” he gasped. “I don’t want to die. I still…There’s too much work to be done.”</p><p>“Unfortunately, for us,” Piper remarked wearily, pulling out her cuffs as Spencer’s SUV pulled over next to her. “You aren’t dying yet.” Emily pulled him up by his collar, pushing his head into the SUV while Spencer rushed out of his seat to Piper’s side.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Piper managed to nod, exhausted.</p><p>“I haven’t run that much since Hogan’s Alley,” she gasped, and Emily tossed her a bottle from her car. She grunted softly in thanks, accepting the bottle and proceeding to drain it. Emily snickered, getting into the front seat and Spencer made to follow until he noticed Piper walk away from the car, massaging her shoulder.</p><p>“Hey, aren’t you coming with us?” Piper whirled around in confusion.</p><p>“I have to get my bike.” Emily rolled down the window, also confused.</p><p>“Why, where’s your bike?”</p><p>“I had to dump it after that asshole started climbing a wall.” Emily recognised Spencer’s conflicted expression as he watched Piper leave.</p><p>“Hey, dork.” Instinctively, he turned his head to Emily’s voice. “Go, I got this guy.”</p><p>“You’re sure?”</p><p>“Go,” Emily said with finality and beaming, Spencer waved at her before running after Piper. The raven-haired agent chortled, rolling up the window before driving back to the police station.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The case was over, and the entire team was getting some much-needed rest. Hotch promised them a two-day rest—by which he meant paperwork. But they took what they got. Piper’s eyes were practically drowning in exhaustion. Her body still hurt from that fall against the concrete. As badass as the move might have been, she was reaping the consequences. Spencer shut the door quietly behind them as Piper dumped the takeout boxes on the counter, as well as her helmet and keys. “You never did tell me what you were doing in Georgetown,” Spencer said as he unbuttoned his cardigan.</p><p>“Hmm?” Piper said, stripping herself of her sweater, her button-up dragging slightly with the effort, exposing only the tiniest patch of skin. “Oh, nothing important. Just meeting an old friend.”</p><p>“You mean Theo?” Spencer muttered as Piper poured them glasses of water. She passed him his glass, narrowing her eyes at his tone.</p><p>“Yeah, as a matter-of-fact, I was. He wanted me to consult on a scan,” she said confusedly. “Is everything okay?”</p><p>“Just peachy,” he said bitterly, downing the glass before taking his watch off gingerly.</p><p>“No, you’re upset,” Piper said. There was no condescension or concern in her tone, just a statement of truth.</p><p>“I’m not,” he protested, brushing past her to make his way to her bedroom</p><p>“I know that face,” she said, following him. “That’s your I’m-upset-with-you face, and I really don’t—” Spencer whirled to face her, and she glanced at his expression. “You’re not jealous, are you?” Spencer turned, livid.</p><p>“What do I have to be jealous about?” he scoffed, and Piper bit her lip. She had thought it would make him open up.</p><p>“So, then what? You find out I spent some time with an old friend and all of a sudden, you’re upset. How am I supposed to interpret that?” Piper said, but Spencer just wrenched his hand away, making for anywhere that wasn’t in front of her. “Spencer!” He stopped, whirling around to look at her. “What did I do?” Spencer looked conflicted, frustratedly loosening his tie. “You can’t just—” She sighed, her cell buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out, glancing at the name, the cause of all her strife. She debated answering it or not. On one hand, Theo might have found something about their problem. On the other, she had Spencer’s insecurities.</p><p>“It’s him, isn’t it?” he asked bitterly.</p><p>“It could be important, Spence.” The cell kept vibrating. “I’m sorry, I have to take this.” She answered it, moving to her fire escape and he heard her muffled voice through the exit. He ran a hand through his hair, cursing under his breath as he moved to the bathroom.</p>
<hr/><p>Piper’s eyes glanced out into the darkness, lit up by little lights throughout the city. “Okay, is there anything we can use other than—”</p><p>“<em>To experiment on. Sure, but neurochemistry’s weird, you know that. We can’t account for genetic factors or age or—”</em></p><p>“What if it was an injection? Neurochemistry wouldn’t affect the blood. We could experiment on tumours.”</p><p>“<em>Like chemotherapy?”</em></p><p>“Yeah, does that sound crazy?”</p><p>“<em>Slightly but it is said that crazy people don’t know they’re crazy—”</em></p><p>“Right. I know I’m crazy therefore I’m not crazy.”</p><p>
  <em>“That’s crazy, right? Look, I want you to see this neural timeline. It might inspire another crazy idea.”</em>
</p><p>“I dunno, I’ve got work tomorrow.”</p><p>
  <em>“That’s fine, I have a class then. How about 6?”</em>
</p><p>“Sounds good. I’ll meet you then.” She flipped the cell shut with no idea how to break the news to Spencer. He had changed into his pyjamas, a dark blue night set he kept at her place if he ever wanted to spend the night. He was re-reading Don Quixote, and his glasses were slipping slowly as he absently ate his takeout. She let her cell clatter on the table, next to her keys, and used a finger to push his glasses up, pressing a soft kiss on his forehead. She let the shower pound into her skin, undoing the knots of tension and soothing her bruises. Drying herself off, she noticed Spencer had his clothes neatly hung up on the clothes rack.</p>
<hr/><p>Spencer tried his hardest to ignore how Piper emerged from her shower in his button-up shirt and sweatpants, her hair slightly damp as soft curls grazed her back. But something about a delusional knight just didn’t capture his attention the way her heat did as she bumped his shoulder, or the feel of her thigh against his as she cracked open her takeout or the smell of damp vanilla. He was desperate to wrap his arm around her shoulders, but he was determined to be stronger than that. At least he was until she winced in pain, trying to curl her knees up. Her knees still hurt from her ridiculously dumb jump. Silently, Spencer left the couch and Piper let her head hang back on the sofa. <em>Well, you’ve done it now. Finally pushed him away, didn’t you?</em> She whimpered softly as she straightened her legs out, looking over her shoulder as Spencer returned with something in his hands. Don Quixote was left fighting giants on the armrest as Spencer pressed the towel to Piper’s knee. Piper winced at the cold compress dabbing her bruise, but her gaze was fixed on Spencer’s face. “Spence,” she breathed, not quite sure what she was going to say anyway.</p><p>“Cryotherapy is one of the most common treatments in orthopaedic medicine,” he said, without meeting Piper’s gaze. “The primary reason is to lower the temperature of the injured tissue, which reduces the tissue's metabolic rate and helps the tissue to survive the period following the injury.”</p><p>“You’re vamping,” she said softly.</p><p>“He’s in love with you,” Spencer blurted out and Piper let out a laugh.</p><p>“No, he’s not.” Spencer finally met her gaze, and she swallowed her laugh at his vulnerable look. “And it doesn’t matter if he is.” Piper slipped a hand over to cup his jaw. “I’m yours.</p><p>You’re everything I could’ve wanted, and you’d have to be an idiot if you think I’d ever choose Theo over you.” Spencer wondered what on earth he had done to deserve her.</p><p>“I need to kiss you,” he said, almost childishly and Piper tilted her face to meet his lips. He was slow, tugging at Piper’s bottom lip, forgetting about the cold compress as he reached to cup her cheek. She yelped, flinching from his hand. Spencer felt a moment of panic, as though he’d done something wrong.</p><p>“Your hand is freezing,” she laughed, leaning her forehead against his as she rubbed his hand. Spencer chuckled against her lips, moving to capture her lips until she reminded him that she was starving. He settled for cuddling and reading aloud next to her on the couch while she listened and chewed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Trust me, there's a point to the whole neurology thing - you just gotta wait for it 😉</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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